Now Open
by SmolBob
Summary: Caleo. Basically a fanfic about Leo and Calypso and their life in and out of the shop. Subtle fluff. Please read and review. Rated T, just to be safe...? Thank you.
1. A Normal Life

**Hi guys. I'm new to writing fanfiction, so don't expect this to be amazing, okay? Thanks. Anyway, please read and review. Thank you.**

The shop had been doing well. Leo's mechanical prowess and Calypso's cooking skills had paid off. Leo was always relaxed in his workshop, but as he worked alone his thoughts wandered to Calypso. It was hard to convince his customers that their relationship was nothing more than being roommates. When the Stoll brothers came to pick up a device to help with one of their pranks, they would always ask how things were going with Calypso, did you ask her out yet, on a scale of 1 to 10 how sexy is she, the usual.

Leo would answer every question the same every time. Fine, no, and I'm not going to answer that. The Stolls would promptly thank him and mutter some very disrespectful things about Leo under their breath.

Other than that, the encounters with his clients were nothing out of the ordinary. And then his day would finish off, the shop would be closed, and he'd retire to the apartment above the shop, where Calypso was cooking dinner. He always felt bad because she always cooked. He didn't want to seem sexist, but she insisted that she didn't need any help.

Calypso would say, "Go back to your tinkering, Leo Valdez. You would only set the stew on fire."

Leo accepted this argument. But he still thought of something.

So the next night, as Calypso was putting the finishing touches on her salad, a flying platter zoomed into the room. She shrieked, a very undignified sound, and would have cracked her skull open on the floor if not for that miserable wretch, Leonardo Valdez, who caught her at the last second with a surprisingly firm grip.

"Whoa there, Sunshine. Scared me for a moment."

"How ironic," Calypso said mirthlessly.

Leo rolled his eyes. "You have to admit, though, it was pretty funny."

The former goddess turned and smacked him in the face. Hard.

"Is it _funny_ that your USELESS CONTRAPTION scared the living daylights out of me? Is it _funny_ that you would have had no dinner if you had not caught me?!"

Leo was still rubbing his rapidly bruising cheek, when he said, "Oy. You sure do pack a punch." He offered his free hand to Calypso, but she refused it, deciding not to give him an inch, no matter how enticing he looked with his toned arms and infuriating grin- Now, thinking these thoughts were certainly undignified. Yes, they had kissed. Once. But it was only a "goodbye" kiss and not really an "I love you" kiss. Even though Leo couldn't have left unless Calypso had fallen in love with him. So it did sort of negate the platonicness of it. But at least it didn't really happen, according to Calypso. And those feelings had just about 99.99% subsided. And yet there was still a soft spot in her heart for his humor and dedication to his work.

She pushed these thoughts out of her mind.

"Well," Calypso said, smirking, "Do you want your dinner or not?"

The New York City air was growing colder. Winter was approaching. Naturally, Leo didn't need a jacket. But Calypso had never really experienced cold weather. So Leo took her shopping. Their conversation that morning went like this:

"'Morning, Sunshine."

"Good morning."

"Wow, somebody's feeling really talkative today-"

"Leo?"

"Yeah?"

"You know how it has been getting rather cold lately?"

"Well, not really, considering that I'm about 20% fire."

"You know what I mean, you little-"

"Oh."

"Oh, what?"

"You haven't been in cold weather before. You know what that means."

"Well, actually, no, I do not."

"Time to go SHOPPING!"

So Leo practically had to drag her out the door. Since Calypso didn't have a means of keeping herself warm, Leo gave her his army jacket, to her dismay.

"Come on, it'll be fun," Leo insisted.

"You're making a scene." Calypso retorted.

"Pssh, and I'm the one that has to be dragged down to the subway station wearing their roommate's jacket."

Calypso huffed and submitted.

When they came to the turnstile, Leo swiped his MetroCard and pushed open the service gate for her. Calypso eyed the mechanism in awe.

"What are you gaping at, Sunshine?"

"What is this magic?"

"It's called a door. With electricity."

She disregarded this wisecrack. "How does this 'electricity' work?"

Leo sighed, a grin showing on his face. "A talk for another time, Sunshine." And he took her by the hand and led her to a seat.

However, Calypso was overwhelmed. Her eyes darted around, her nerves showing themselves. Her feet tapped the ground rapidly in an unfamiliar rhythm, while her hands fidgeted in her lap.

Leo watched this and noted how much she looked like him when he had been running on Red Bull and nothing else on a late night.

"Had too much caffeine last night?" Leo asked playfully.

Calypso frowned. "You are confusing me. What is caffeine?"

"Never mind. You just look a little jittery, that's all."

The girl sighed. "Yes, it is quite nervewracking to be around so many people."

Leo smacked himself inwardly. He should have considered this. "Well, the train's about to come in, and there'll be even more people! You excited?"

"No," Calypso grumbled.

And the train came in, screeching louder than a toddler in a tantrum. Leo did not react to this, but Calypso was unprepared. She covered her hands with her ears and closed her eyes.

"You okay, Sunshine?"

Calypso was bewildered. "What is that infernal noise?!"

"Shh!" Leo whispered. He indicated that they needed to get on the train, and Calypso followed.

Leo was right. The train car was packed. Eventually, the doors closed and the train started moving. Calypso had no time to react, so she awkwardly stumbled backwards.

Into the arms of Leo.

 _Again._

It was getting ridiculous.

Leo was doubled over laughing. "Come on, Calypso, you have got to be kidding me. Hold. On. To. The. Bar."

Calypso punched his shoulder, blushing furiously. "Not. Helping," she said, in a good imitation of his voice.

"Come on, Sunshine. Just hold on. I think you've humiliated the both of us enough."

Calypso rolled her eyes and looked down the car. At least she was relaxing. As Leo studied her (totally innocently and only because he noticed a small difference in her composure), he noticed that she seemed to be enveloped in calm. Her face was expressionless and she was breathing evenly. That was good.

Eventually, they reached their stop and they got off the train. Calypso exhaled a breath she must have been holding in for a while.

"I do not want to set foot on one of those things ever again."

Leo smirked. "You'll get used to it, Calypso. Let's go. The mall is this way." He started walking towards an exit.

Reluctantly, Calypso followed.

After walking for a few blocks, Leo stopped.

"Why have you stopped, Leo?" Calypso asked.

"We've reached our destination." Leo pointed to the sign that read, _Macy's._ "Behold."

Leo pulled on Calypso's arm with his other hand and started toward the door.

Calypso curiously watched Leo walk towards the entrance and he showed no indication of putting his hand out to open the door.

And out of nowhere, the door slid open. Calypso started. Leo looked at her with an expression of concern playing on his face.

"Too modern for you, Sunshine?"

"Yes. Is that also 'electricity?'"

"Yup," Leo confirmed. There was a small pause. "Well, what are you waiting for? Your shopping trip awaits!"

"Well, it was technically _your_ idea, but you just had to drag me along, didn't you?"

Leo was grinning. "Indeed."

And they stepped in.

Calypso was awed. It was a gigantic area full of articles of clothing that she had never seen before. It was a rainbow of colors, and endless rows of hangers and mannequins.

"Okay. You know what clothes are your size... Calypso?"

"This is all so much."

Leo looked down at the ground. He knew he had probably been shoving this down her throat without considering how she felt about it.

"I'm sorry."

"For what? Leo, I love it!" She brought Leo's chin up so that he was looking straight at her.

Oh, gods. Fiery butterflies began to bounce around in Leo's stomach. He felt this often when he was around Calypso, and he was not proud of it. He had to fight the emotions rising in his chest and try not to burst into flames himself.

"I just thought that- that I had sprung this on you and that I wasn't being fair about it."

Calypso chuckled. "Well, at first, yes. I was not appreciating this change of scenery. But there is a beauty to this 'city that never sleeps' that I have not noticed before."

Leo smiled nervously. "Okay, that's good. Now, uh..."

Calypso's face was beet red. "Yes. Um, okay. Right. Let's look over there."

And Calypso sped towards a corner of the store.

Leo whistled and started after the former Queen of Ogygia.

When he reached her, she was assessing a collection of shirts that had floral patterns running the length of them all.

"Calypso."

The girl jumped. "Gods, Leo Valdez! Why must you scare me like that?"

"Never mind that. Sunshine, those are not jackets. They're T-shirts."

"Yes." She affirmed. "I am aware," she added.

"Well, yeah. The jackets are here." And he walked over to another set of clothing that had hoods and were made of thicker material than the T-shirts she had been admiring.

"This, Sunshine, is a jacket. Marvel at its beautiful material, the smooth nylon exterior! The wearer is guaranteed to become instantly warmer!"

Calypso giggled despite herself. "You are ridiculous."

"It's a thing. Anyway, Sunshine, just pick one out. I'll be needing my own jacket, if you're gonna be trying some on."

Calypso had completely forgotten about the jacket. She had felt its warmth without realizing it. Wearing it made her feel closer to Leo, as she inhaled the smell of oil and grease, and she didn't want to take it off. But of course, she couldn't act weird about it so she shrugged off the jacket and handed it to him.

"Gracias, señorita." Leo said in his other language.

"Someday, Leo Valdez, you will have to teach me that Spinach language you speak."

This was too much for Leo. His laugh was unnaturally loud. He kept laughing for a few minutes, until he finally caught his breath and calmed down.

"What was so funny, Valdez?" Calypso honestly had no idea.

"Not... 'Spinach,'" Leo wheezed. "Spanish." He began to spell it out letter for letter for her like she was a preschooler. "S. P. A. N. I. S. H."

"Ah. My mistake." Calypso apologized.

"You'll learn someday, Sunshine." Leo smirked that annoying smirk that Calypso had grown so fond of.

"Well," Calypso started. She picked up a simple black coat with a lot of pockets. "I think I like this one."

Not very fashionable, not like that was necessary, but Calypso certainly had good taste.

"Alrighty then. Let's go pay for it."

Calypso carried the jacket to the "cashier" (there was a lot of unfamiliar vocabulary in the 21st century, such as "laptop" and "selfie" and "cell phone," whatever those meant) and put it on the counter. This method seemed impractical, since the coat was placed at the end of the counter and the "cashier" could not reach it from where they were standing. There was a teenage boy at the counter who was blatantly ogling at Calypso. She seemed to have that effect on people. She thought it was rather odd and annoying.

Leo noticed this and snapped his fingers once. The boy snapped out of his trance. "Hey. The coat. Your job," he prompted.

"Yeah. Yeah, okay." The boy's skin was tinted an odd shade of red and he looked down at the coat awkwardly when he scanned and bagged it. He handed the bag to Leo, who accepted it with a wary look on his face.

"Um, have a nice day and I hope you come back to-"

"Yeah, thank you. You too." Leo walked off, Calypso running after him.

The pair was back home at their apartment after another tense trip on the train, but at least Calypso didn't embarrass herself. Leo was lounging on the couch, shoes off, head laid back. He was looking at his phone, reading a review for a restaurant that he was planning on taking Calypso to. As friends. Nothing more.

Calypso came in with two bowls of beef stew in her hands. "What are you doing on that 'phone,' Leo Valdez?"

Leo's reply was calm. "Checking my messages."

Calypso accepted this answer. "Well, the stew is here."

Leo put his phone down and leaned over the bowl. "Damn, that looks good. You'll have to show me the recipe some day."

Calypso rolled her eyes. "Yes, like you could ever learn to cook."

Leo shrugged. "It's never too late, is it?"

Calypso shrugged too. "Perhaps." Leo promptly inhaled the stew, and in doing so, covered the area surrounding his mouth with remnants of carrots and Worcestershire sauce.

The former goddess grumbled. "You are the messiest eater I have ever seen.

Leo retorted, "Well, that isn't saying a lot, since you don't know many other people."

Calypso harrumphed. "Silence, Leo." She grabbed a paper towel, held his jaw with her other hand, and wiped his mouth.

Leo could not move. The flaming butterflies sputtered to life again and began flopping around in his stomach. If body temperature could kill (which it could), Leo would have committed a mass genocide with his body heat. He was savoring every touch he felt from Calypso's covered hand and an intense blush was forming in his cheeks. As he looked at Calypso's own face, he saw that she was also slightly blushing. Second time she's done that today. It's only because of the awkward touching, he reminded himself.

Finally, Calypso finished and showed him the soiled paper towel. It was covered in the delicious food Leo had just consumed. "Next time," Calypso said, "Eat with your mouth closed."

Leo promptly got up with bowl in hand, and gestured for Calypso's own. "Hey, let me wash the dishes tonight. It's the least I could do."

Calypso began, "Leo, are you sure-" but the boy cut her off.

"Don't worry, Sunshine. I can handle myself. Go to bed early for once, yeah?"

Calypso sighed. "I know this will likely burn down the whole apartment, but nevertheless, thank you." She placed her hand on his shoulder and after a moment, let go and strutted off towards her bedroom.

Leo walked into the kitchen. "Okay," he said, rolling up his sleeves. "Try not to burn the whole apartment down."


	2. Reminiscing

**Hi guys! Once again, I'm new to writing fanfiction, so don't expect this to be amazing. Please read and review. Thank you.**

 **P.S. I forgot to put a disclaimer last time, so this speaks for the first two chapters together:**

 **I don't own Percy Jackson and the Olympians. All rights belong to Rick Riordan.**

"Leo."

Leo jumped and awoke. His body was covered in sweat and his breaths came out quickly and unevenly. He had been having a nightmare.

"Leo, are you all right?"

The boy looked up and relaxed. It was only Calypso. Some of her hair was sticking up and there was an expression of genuine concern on her face.

"I'd ask you the same. You look like you just drank 5 cups of coffee." Leo smirked.

"I don't get it. What is coffee?" Calypso huffed. "No matter. I heard you mumbling in your sleep."

This surprised him, and at the same time embarrassed him. He was scared to think what Calypso might have heard.

"Huh? What was I saying?" Leo prepared himself.

"You were saying... 'Mama, mama, I miss you so much...' 'Mama, I need you...'" Calypso looked down at the ground. Yeah, she was probably trying to conceal a laugh or something.

But nothing like that happened. Instead, the next thing he heard from her was, "Leo, I'm worried. What happened to your mother?" Seeing the forlorn look on his face, she quickly added, "If you don't want to talk about it, you don't have t-"

Leo put his hand up to stop her. "Nah, it's okay." He sighed and wondered how he was going to explain.

"Leo, really..." Calypso tried again.

"No. No, I need to get this off my chest." Leo kicked himself mentally and realized that sounded a little harsh. After a brief pause, he began.

"My mother was the nicest, sweetest person I ever knew. She was a tinkerer, a mechanic, sort of like how I am now. I went to the machine shop with her every day. I even made some of my own trinkets while I was there, as good as my 6-year old self could. This routine continued for a while." Leo took a breath and paused for a moment, then continued. "One day, we were finishing off the workday and my mom had to lock up. We were heading out when she said she forgot the key."

Leo took another breath. This was the hardest part. "So I waited outside the door for a few minutes, until the door slammed shut out of nowhere. I tried to open it, but it was locked from the other side. Then this lady with a sleepy expression on her face walked up to me. I was yelling for my mother, trying any method to open that stupid door." Leo paused again. Looking down, he noticed Calypso's hand on his shoulder. Appreciating the gesture, he started again. "She said, 'She can't hear you.' I said, 'Where's my mom?' But all she said was, 'Ah, loyal to your mother. But, you see, I have children too. I understand that you will fight them some day. When they try to wake me, you will prevent them. I will not allow that.'"

Calypso scowled. "Gaea."

"Well, yeah. I preferred 'Dirt Face.'"

Calypso didn't smile. He didn't expect her to. It was a pretty crappy attempt at humor, and it wasn't necessarily a good time for it.

"Then, after a few more cryptic lines, my hands randomly burst into flames. I- I caused the fire that killed my mom, Calypso."

Calypso was dumbfounded. "No. Of course you didn't. It was Gaea's fault."

Leo looked down at his shoes, but did not respond.

"Anyway," Leo said, "That's my sob story. Ya happy?"

Calypso looked rather confused. "What do you mean? That is a very sad story. How can you just laugh it off?"

"That's what helps." Leo shrugged.

Calypso scowled again. Then, out of the blue, her arms were wrapped around him, her face buried into his shoulder. This threw him off balance, literally. The duo fell back into Leo's bed, Calypso on top of him. Now there was a dragon breathing fire and flying around fiercely in his stomach and this seemed to influence his heart rate as well. It was all he could do to not burst into flames. Needless to say, it was rather hard.

The feel of Calypso's skin against his own was an amazing feeling. Moments later, he also enveloped her with his own arms, and simply held her for a while. After that "while," which was really just about a minute more, Calypso extracted herself from his grip, stood up with an evident blush on her cheeks, and wiped away... what was that? A tear?

"I am sorry about your mother, Leo."

And she walked out, probably towards the kitchen to make some delicious breakfast.

Leo sat up. And stayed there for a very long time. And he thought. He thought of what the hell had just happened. He knew it was only out of sympathy, but there was that small part of his heart that hoped... No. It wasn't realistic. It just wasn't. There was not a lot to do while sitting alone, so he got up, stretched, and walked into the living room. Indeed, Calypso was cooking. The smell of bacon wafted into his nostrils. _What?_ Calypso never made those Americanized foods. Maybe it was because she wanted to make him feel better. Leo smiled at the thought.

He looked out the window that they had that showed Calypso's garden. It was a sunny day, and it looked heavenly. The light was bouncing off the plants, and Festus' garage door was closed, but you could hear a soft thrumming noise that was probably the dragon's snoring. He admired the garden, noticing the evident health of the plants, including some of the moonlace that was native to Ogygia.

Then he heard footsteps and the clanking of plates. A moment later, Calypso joined him at the window sill.

"Yes, it does look quite beautiful, doesn't it?" She looked longingly at it.

Leo was awed. "Yeah." Then he turned around and looked at the breakfast sitting on the table. There was indeed bacon, along with a glass of orange juice and eggs on the side. "Jeez. You seem to be able to cook anything." Leo didn't have to turn around to know that Calypso was blushing.

"Thank you." There was a short silence. "Well? Dig in!" She insisted.

Leo immediately began eating.

Calypso scoffed. "Not _literally,_ Leo Valdez."

"Shu' up." Leo seemed to want to piss her off even more.

"Do not speak with your mouth full. Have you already forgotten last night?"

Leo swallowed. "Don't teach me how to live my life, Sunshine," in mock defiance.

"Whatever."

The work day had started. Leo was waiting for the first customer of the day, tinkering with scrapped materials. Calypso was fascinated by Leo's ability to do this. He didn't even have to _look_ at the thing. His hands were his eyes.

Calypso thought about that morning's events. She had indeed heard Leo mumbling. She had indeed been startled and scared.

She remembered hearing his tear-inducing story of the death of his mother. She understood how it felt. It might not have been the same, but when she was imprisoned on Ogygia, she lost the valuable company of her own mother, Tethys. The Titaness had probably forgotten that Calypso existed. She didn't bother to confirm that. The boy's story had brought back memories. She found out that no matter how insufferable Leo Valdez was, they did have something in common. She knew he wasn't expecting a consolation, but she certainly gave him one. A rather enthusiastic one, in fact. She admitted it was not like her, but the tale he told hit very close to home.

And the best part of it all was lying there in Leo's arms. He was getting surprisingly muscular. She could no longer tease him about how he was so scrawny, because in reality, he just wasn't. Indeed, he was becoming a handsome young man. His curly hair had been cut short recently, and his face was still full of the playfulness that she remembered.

And at the same time, Leo seemed to be noticing her, too. Sometimes, she caught him staring at her and told him off for it, even though she was guilty of the same offense. Of course, she didn't tell Leo about this.

She wondered why Leo did study her sometimes. Of course, all of the heroes that had ended up on Ogygia had thought her beautiful, but Leo never did that. There was one time, however, when she had sang a song to try and turn on one of his ridiculous inventions, and Leo had been dumbfounded and had stared at her like she was an alien.

Outside of her brain, the bell on the door jingled, signaling the first customer of the day. Leo greeted the person warmly, but from Calypso's position behind the closed kitchen door, she had no idea who the person was.

"Hey, man! Haven't seen you in a while," Leo said happily.

"Yeah, it's nice to see you, Leo." The voice sounded oddly familiar... No. It couldn't be _him._ Nevertheless, she just had to confirm her suspicions. She pushed the door open, but Leo's figure was covering the new voice, so she walked around him and nearly took a double take.

The boy had sea green eyes and black hair. At the moment, his eyes pierced her with a curious gaze.

"Percy... Jackson." She managed to get out.

Leo had forgotten completely about how Percy, at one point, had ended up on Ogygia himself. And that apparently, Calypso had tried to curse him, but in Tartarus, Annabeth was on the receiving end of it. The experience had showed him that Calypso had felt severe pain once he had left and needed someone else to know the pain she was feeling, every single time a hero had left her.

"Calypso." The guy's voice was cold. He obviously hadn't forgotten about her and her curse.

"It's been a while, hasn't it." Calypso responded nervously.

Before they started fighting, Leo put his hand on Calypso's shoulder and said, "Calypso, can I talk to you for a moment?"

"Fine." Calypso opened the door to the upstairs level and walked through, but her eyes never left Percy. Leo followed.

"We'll only be a minute, man." Leo reassured Percy.

"Yeah, yeah, take your time," He said, waving him off.

Leo closed the door behind him and immediately started talking.

"Calypso. I think you should stay back here."

Calypso was angered. "No. Why should I?"

Leo sighed. "Calypso, Percy and Annabeth ended up in Tartarus for a while, before Gaea had been defeated."

Calypso visibly winced at the name.

"They ended up fighting the _arai_ at one point."

Calypso knew what was coming. "When they gave in and started attacking them, Annabeth somehow got one of the curses. The _arai_ had told him, 'Your beloved has unleashed a special curse- a bitter thought from someone you abandoned-'"

Calypso put her hand up to silence him. "Yes, yes. It is true, I cursed Annabeth. I was jealous of her."

Leo could not comprehend. "Calypso, really, it's not a good idea for you to be out there."

"No. I have to talk to him. Explain to him."

Leo gave up. "Fine. Just don't blow anything up, alright?" He tried to make the situation lighter.

"You should remember that yourself." Calypso retorted.

"Touché."

Calypso walked out into the waiting room.

"The star returns," Percy commented dryly.

"Yes, glad to see you too," she said, with just about as much enthusiasm as Percy.

Percy looked down at the ground before speaking again. "Why did you do it?"

"Because... Because I was jealous. I wanted you to feel my pain, but somehow Annabeth was the one who got the curse. I can't imagine what you were feeling when you realized I was responsible, but-"

"Of course you can't imagine it. Have you ever been seriously romantically involved with someone and just because some _random girl_ cursed them they forget about you? It doesn't matter how long it took until she came back. It _hurt._ "

Calypso snorted. "Well, I understand a lot of what you're feeling. Because, well, I'd been abandoned by many heroes during my stay on that gods-forsaken island."

"Yeah, yeah. You never got involved with them. You never built up a true relationship with them. You didn't get to know them any better than they would allow during the few days of their stay on your stupid little 'gods-forsaken island.'"

"If falling in love with every hero I met was my curse and my biggest flaw, then what could I have done to change it?" The tension was rising.

"Well, I don't know, _not fallen in love with them?_ "

"Perseus Jackson, you know yourself that a hero could not leave my island until I fell for them, no matter _how_ long it took. How different do you think Ogygia would have been if Drake, Odysseus, you, and Leo, had been stuck on my island for your whole lives? You would never see your sweet _Annabeth_ again." She put a venomous touch on the girl's name.

Percy pondered this. And he fell silent. Calypso let out a sigh of relief and opened the back door.

She called out, "Valdez, you can come back down now!"

It took a moment, but soon enough she heard the rumbling of Leo's feet on the stairs. He walked through the kitchen and to the counter.

The shorter boy cleared his throat and said, "So, I've got your order in the back."

Percy tried to sound friendly. "Thanks, man."

Leo retreated into the back room again, but this time Calypso followed him.

The boy acknowledged this and said quietly, "How angry did you guys get at each other?"

Calypso shrugged. "Mad enough."

Leo picked out a box from a heaping pile of them and nodded. "Okay. Let's talk about it later." And he walked back towards Percy with the box in hand.

"Your order," Leo stated.

Percy did a mock salute, picked up the box, and walked out the door.

Leo let out a sigh of relief and leaned on the glass counter. "Thank gods that's over."

Calypso said nothing, and walked up the stairs.

Over the next few days, it was business as usual. Leo received his repair jobs, Calypso cooked her stew, and everything was normal. Always, at the end of the workday, Leo would further prepare himself for his not-really-a-date with Calypso.

That was on Friday night.

Right now it was Thursday night.

So finally, Leo mustered up the courage to tell Calypso about his plans. He had already made the reservation, so it would kinda suck if she said no.

Leo was sitting on the couch. Calypso was in the garden, tending to her plants.

Leo stood up and walked slowly towards the door to the outside, and stopped right before it.

 _It'll be alright, Leo,_ a fatherly voice said in his head.

Leo blanched. _Dad?_ He asked in his mind, which would have sounded weird without context.

 _Yes, Leo, it's me. Do not worry about Calypso. Nevertheless, I wish you good luck,_ Hephaestus thought-spoke again.

 _Yeah. Thanks._ Leo dismissed his thoughts and finally pushed open the door.

 _Whoa._ Calypso's moonlace plants that she had salvaged from Ogygia were glowing, which illuminated the area around the garden. Calypso's face itself seemed to glow.

"Hey," he managed to say weakly.

Calypso greeted him nonchalantly. "Hello."

Leo squatted down to Calypso's level and said, "I've never understood how your moonlace plant glows."

Calypso grinned. "Is that why you came here? To ask me a simple question?"

"Well, partially, but not completely."

"Moonlace is shrouded in magic. It is said that Demeter herself created these flowers from a discarded thought."

Leo whistled. "Wow, that's interesting."

He twiddled his thumbs, then took a breath.

"I was wondering, uh..." Leo couldn't get it out.

"Yes?" Calypso's full attention was on him now.

"That, uh... Okay. I was wondering if you'd like to go out to dinner with me tomorrow night?" Leo crossed himself mentally.

Calypso did not respond. _Oh, gods. She's wondering how to say no,_ Leo theorized.

Her eyes were looking down at her glowing plants, indecisiveness showing on her features. Then she smiled.

"Are you 'asking me on a date,' Leo Valdez?"

Leo blushed. "Well, I didn't have any especially romantic intentions, but essentially yes." His hands were shaking.

Calypso reached out and gripped one of his hands. A seemingly electric shock traveled up Leo's arms. "Relax, Leo Valdez. I'd love to go with you."

Leo let out a sigh of relief. "Okay. Thank you." He really wanted to do a victory dance all over Manhattan, but he couldn't ruin his opportunity with the Queen of Ogygia.

"Well," Leo yawned. "I think it's bedtime. See ya tomorrow." He slinked off to his room.

There were no nightmares that night.


	3. Date Night

**Hi guys, I'm back. I know this is the third chapter so you're probably sick of hearing it, but I'm new to writing fanfiction, so don't expect this to be amazing. Please read and review. Thank you.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians. All rights belong to Rick Riordan. I also do not own the Stardust Diner. It is a real place in New York City.**

 **P.S. That story about the moonlace last chapter was FAKE.**

 **P.P.S. I'm sorry. I was a day late on the update. Please don't hurt me...**

The bell on the front door jingled. Leo came back to the outside world.

The girl looked to be about his age. She looked at him with a testy expression and shoved at him a nondescript pouch. There was a sticker on it that said in hastily scribbled writing, _Handle With Care!_

"'Morning," Leo tried.

The girl huffed. "I need this repaired."

Leo rolled his eyes. "You know, a 'Hey' or a 'Hi' would be nice, too."

"There is no need for greetings! It is your job, no? To repair things?"

Suddenly, the back door was pushed open. Calypso emerged. Her glare gave the girl a run for her money. She wrapped her hands around one of Leo's arms. The butterflies came back, but he couldn't show weakness in front of this disrespectful girl.

"Why," Calypso began, with a venomous tone, "don't you try that again?"

The girl had been scared, but suddenly her steely gaze returned. "These are some very delicate materials. They have been slightly damaged by one of my 'friends.' I have a feeling that the boy here will recognize them."

A flash of recognition played along Calypso's face.

"Lady Hera." There was no pleasantry in her voice.

Leo held up his hand. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. _This_ little girl is Hera? As in the _goddess_ Hera?"

Anger flared across the disguised goddess' face. "Show some respect, child."

"Fine. Have a nice day, then!" There was fake happiness in his voice.

Teen Hera huffed and disappeared behind a layer of golden dust.

Leo coughed. "What the... heck- Was she doing here?"

Calypso waved her hand and said simply, "The gods and goddesses must make their own special appearances sometimes."

"Yeah, like you see a freaking _goddess_ _of Olympus_ randomly at your totally obscure machine shop?"

Calypso tutted. "You are a demigod, remember."

Leo's eyebrows raised. "Then again, so are you."

Other than that, it was a pretty typical morning.

It was nearing the end of the work day for Leo and Calypso. The sky outside the shop was dark, and no more than a handful of people passed the block.

Leo was beating his fingers against the table, subconsciously tapping out _I love you_ in Morse code as he had done so many times before.

And... a miniature bell tolled in his head. 5:00 p.m.

He switched the sign at the door from "Now Open" to "Sorry, We're Closed" and locked up.

"Well, Calypso, it's five o'clock."

Calypso perked up. "Yes. I'll get ready, then." She trotted up the stairs.

 _Well, she seems excited. The Supersized McShizzle is gonna work some moves on her,_ Leo joked with himself.

 _Possibly._ The fatherly voice interrupted his thoughts once again.

 _Dad, please don't do that._ Leo thought that one time was enough, but apparently not for the god of fire.

 _I apologize. I am only rooting for you, son._

 _Yeah, yeah._ Leo dismissed him.

He went up the stairs to his room to get ready. His wardrobe was not very extensive (or fancy, for that matter). But he did have one button-down shirt for special occasions. He chose it instantly and took a pair of black work pants. In the shoes department, well... he only had his sneakers. So he put those on.

Calypso was a little nervous. She wished she had something different from the white dresses she owned along with the jeans and t-shirt that she had specially made for herself. Something... different. Hmmm... How about something black? She'd always worn bright colors. Why not? But that would have to wait, and she'd have to work with what she had.

She chose one of the white dresses. _Shocker._

Leo was at the foot of the stairs, waiting for her. Timidly, she walked her way down. The slip-on shoes she wore made small, muffled, tapping sounds on the wood.

Leo was overwhelmed. Gods, she looked amazing. It didn't even look like the former goddess was trying. She was that pretty. Leo looked down and saw that his hands were ablaze. He quickly snuffed them out, blushing furiously.

Calypso was just as flustered. She was looking down at the ground, refusing to put her eyes on Leo. Blood rushed to her cheeks and she struggled to form words.

"C-come on, Leo. Let's, ah, let's get out of here."

Leo got the idea and strode towards the exit. He opened the door in a gracious manner and held it for Calypso.

"After you, madam." Calypso tried not to frown at the joke. She may not have understood it, but Leo was only trying to be nice.

 _Gods,_ Leo thought. _You're being such a doof._ Seriously, he was only making this worse and worse for himself. He mentally beat himself up.

Calypso relished the cool night air, feeling it run over her skin, giving her small goosebumps all over her arms.

Leo had no idea what to say, incoherent mumblings being all he could produce. Thankfully, Calypso saved him from further embarrassment.

"So, Leo Valdez, where are you taking me?"

The boy was relieved. "I'm not 'taking you' anywhere.' We're going together. We're taking each other. But we're going to this place called the Stardust Diner. It's just a few blocks from here, actually. And the waitresses actually sing!" Calypso perked up at this, but Leo quickly quelled this excitement by adding, "In English, though."

"Ah." Calypso sighed.

"Well, we should really get going." Leo ran his hands through his hair.

"Yes. Show me this 'Stardust Diner.'"

Leo grinned. "I was getting to that."

So they walked through the streets, reaching the brightly lit Broadway. Calypso's breath caught in her throat. She suddenly stopped walking. "Leo...?"

Leo stopped. "Yeah?"

"This is beautiful."

The boy grinned. "Indeed." He loved how curious she sounded. He'd have to take her on a genuine tour of New York someday.

Eh. Didn't matter. Right now, this was probably all she could handle.

Leo started walking again, Calypso jogging to keep up with him.

At the opposite end of the block, large, garish neon lights spelled out the words "Ellen's Stardust Diner" all over the outside walls of the establishment.

Leo whistled. "Is it just me or did they go a _little_ bit overboard with the lights?"

Calypso said humorlessly, "No. It is not just you."

They entered together. Immediately they were hit with a blast of cold air. There was the distinct sound of singing. A soundtrack of trumpets and upbeat drums played under the voice. Jazz, like something Leo's _bisabuelo,_ Sammy, would listen to. The thought of him brought his mind to Hazel, who'd basically fallen in love with the guy. 70 years ago. The thought of Hazel brought back the thoughts of his friends back at Camp Half Blood and Camp Jupiter. So many good memories...

Gods, he was such a jerk.

Why hadn't he visited them recently?

But once again, it didn't matter now.

A woman came up to the duo and smiled at Leo knowingly.

"Is it just you two?" She asked.

Leo could feel himself heating up. _Not here, not here, not here..._

"Yes. Yes, it is." Calypso finally spoke.

"All right then, follow me." The woman turned and started walking.

There was a bluish glow about the place. It illuminated every customer's face in an odd way, and Leo's eyesight suddenly became incredibly sensitive to this. Everything burned.

 _Just breathe, boy._ Damn Hephaestus and his timing.

 _I'm trying, I'm trying._ Leo insisted in thought.

His heartbeat instantly slowed down, without any influence from Leo himself.

 _Thank you, Dad._ Leo was finally relaxed. He hadn't been paying any real attention to where the woman was going, but Leo's legs had carried him there, as if his mind was disconnected from his body and it had to act on its own for a few seconds.

"Well, here we are... Hope you two like the view."

They were at a table on the edge of a sort of balcony level that overlooked the ground floor and the singing staff members.

Leo smiled at the woman. "Thank you, ma'am."

There was that knowing smile again. "Anytime." She walked away, leaving Calypso and Leo alone.

Calypso plopped down in her seat, Leo following suit. "Well, Leo, this is an... interesting place."

"I know."

Calypso picked up the menu. "What is this?"

Leo rolled his eyes inwardly. "It's a menu. It tells you what kind of food they serve and how much it costs."

"What are hamburgers?"

Leo audibly groaned. This girl was hopeless. "They're these cuts of ground beef, you know, cow, in between two pieces of bread, called a bun."

"What is a 'soda?'"

Leo was too tired of the questions to care. "They're these carbonated drinks with a lot of sugar and they taste really good, depending on what you're used to."

Calypso was utterly confused. She was looking for something she actually knew the name of, until her eyes rested on "Lentil Soup (vegetarian) - a light and healthy soup with carrot and crusting."

"Okay, I think I know what I want."

"Good." Leo already knew what he wanted. It was the same every time- cheeseburger deluxe. He could order two, but he didn't want to come home covered in melted yellow goo and breathing tomatoes out of his nostrils. Especially with Calypso with him. That girl was the apple of his eye. She was the best friend he could ever ask for. He couldn't tell Festus that he thought that, though.

Leo escaped his mind and motioned to the waitress who'd been looking at Leo like she could read his mind. She rushed over to the table, awaiting their orders.

"Yeah, uh, can I get the cheeseburger deluxe? And a Coke?"

The woman scribbled on her pad. "And for the young lady?"

Calypso grinned at Leo, as if to say, _if only she knew._ "Yes. Can I get the lentil soup? Just water for me."

This time, the waitress smiled at Calypso. The girl's expression darkened as the woman rushed off to the kitchen. She voiced her thoughts when she thought nobody was listening.

"Leo, I recognized that woman."

The boy nodded in agreement. "She looked like she knew something I didn't."

They waited for several minutes, making small talk, until the same waitress came back with a platter of food.

The cheeseburger looked heavenly. Leo whistled.

The waitress set the food down on the table, Calypso saying a quick "thank you."

"Enjoy your meal, dears." There it was again. That smile.

And she walked away.

Leo was too hungry to care. He tore into his cheeseburger, while Calypso watched in amazement.

"Leo-" The boy continued eating.

"Leo Valdez-" The boy continued to inhale his burger.

"Leo!" This caught his attention.

"Wha'?" Leo would never learn.

"For Zeus' sake! Swallow before you speak."

Leo swallowed. "What?" He asked again.

"Slow down, too. Come on, Valdez."

Leo grudgingly complied.

Calypso rolled her eyes. "Look, we're in a public place. I have been living in solitude for 3000 years and yet I have better etiquette than you? You should be embarrassed!"

Leo frowned. "Well, I remember back when I was on Ogygia, and you weren't exactly the happiest camper."

Calypso was annoyed, but he was right. She didn't really take it easy on him. "Point made," she admitted.

"Wow, Ogygia feels like so long ago."

Calypso smiled. "You have no idea."

She finally put her spoon in the soup and ate. The taste wasn't necessarily what she was expecting, but she still enjoyed it.

"How is it?"

"Good, although it doesn't taste amazing."

"Yeah, that's diner food for you."

Leo and Calypso ate in silence for the next few minutes. By that time, Leo was done, and Calypso was finishing up.

"Calypso?"

The girl looked up.

"Do you remember that time on Ogygia when I came into your cave and you chucked some pots at me?"

Calypso smiled. She remembered that moment _very_ well.

"Man, you were edgy."

"I have no idea what that word means, but you are probably right."

The girl put her spoon down, licking her lips, savoring the taste of the soup.

"I guess you're done, then," Leo assumed.

He gestured to the lady again.

Just like the other time, she rushed over to the table, expectant.

"You two ready for the check?" Her eyes glittered.

Calypso smacked herself mentally. "Sorry, my lady. One second."

Leo frowned. _My lady?_ Too late. Calypso was whispering into his ear.

"Leo, that's Aphrodite."

Leo was shocked, yet at the same time, he wasn't surprised. He barely had time to process this before the goddess interrupted.

"You are right, dear Calypso. I see you have found a suitable... companion?"

The two flushed, flustered. Leo stuttered, "What?! No- uh..."

The goddess waved her hand impatiently and said, "Bah! You two are so cute."

Calypso swallowed. "My lady, can we just have the 'check,' or whatever Leo called it?"

Aphrodite produced a slip of paper from her pocket. "Here you go. Well, farewell, dears. I hope to see you soon."

She vaporized into thin air, leaving a very flustered Leo and Calypso to their own devices. Leo awkwardly fished the money out of his pocket.

The two were finally walking back to the shop. Calypso was literally staggering from the exhaustion that she was feeling.

"Whoa, Sunshine, you look like you'll topple over any second now."

The girl smiled. She missed that nickname.

"Do not worry, Leo Valdez. I can walk on my own."

And she promptly fell. Leo had just enough time to catch her before she faceplanted on the concrete and cracked her skull open. She had an odd tendency of doing exactly that, _and_ being caught by Leo every time.

The boy turned her over in his arms, investigating her face. She was definitely asleep. Her breathing was even, and there was a shadow of a smirk on her face. She looked so... _serene._

Leo flushed. Looked like he'd have to carry her the rest of the way. He didn't want to wake her. Thank the gods his work in the shop had strengthened him, no matter how minimally. He picked her up with general ease, bridal style, and walked slowly towards the door of Leo and Calypso's Auto Repair and Mechanical Monsters (Fresh Fruits and Vegetables, Cider and Stew). The whole place was dark. The moonlight illuminated the counter and waiting area weakly, giving it the ambience of a summer cabin in the night that hadn't been entered for a while.

The boy kicked the door open, which was quite a challenge considering the bundle of absolute _hotness_ he was carrying.

He stopped when inside the protection of his shop and took a breath. _You are almost there, Leo. Enjoy the moment while you can._

Leo didn't even bother to address his intrusive father that time. He started walking again, up the stairs, through the living room, and finally, into Calypso's bedroom. He had never really taken a close look in there, but now that he could, he noticed that Calypso was not as neat as she had been on Ogygia. Some clothes were strewn across the floor, her dresser's top covered in random items, probably from her cave back on the island. He smiled. _Now I can use this against her. Don't know how, don't know when, but at least it's an option._

He set her down in her bed, tucking her under her comforters gently as a father would his children. When he was finished, he stood there in indecision. Why was he lingering? He didn't know. Suddenly, impulsively, he lowered his head slowly, and kissed Calypso's forehead.

 _Ah, congratulations, darling!_ Whoa.

 _Aphrodite? Not you, too..._ Leo was getting tired of mind-invading Olympians, but now it was the goddess of love who had taken control of him.

 _Get used to it, dear._ And her presence was gone. Leo went, as quickly and quietly as he could, to his own bedroom, and flopped down in bed.

Did Calypso have a power that warded off bad dreams?

It certainly seemed that way.

 **Author's Note: Hi, guys! Hope you enjoyed that chapter and all the fluff that essentially coated it. I finally decided on a schedule. Updates will be weekly. As always, thank you so much for reading. Don't forget to review. Until next time :)**


	4. A Blizzard of Emotions

**Hi guys! I'm back. I can't believe this story has 400 views! This is an achievement, guys! Thank you for the support so far.**

 **Dear users** _ **peleg312**_ **and** _ **Ilikecartoonsandzombies,**_ **thank you so much for the support! I wasn't expecting this much attention, and it makes my day to hear these words of appreciation. Once again, thank you so much!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians. All rights belong to Rick Riordan.**

 **Also, if you haven't realized already, this is pre-relationship Leo and Calypso. Just wanted to clear that up.**

 **Anyway, here's the new chapter. Please read and review. Thank you.**

* * *

Calypso awoke.

 _Wow,_ she thought, _what a night._

Her mind flashed back to Leo's smiling face, scraps of lettuce and tomato stuck to his face.

When she returned to the real world, she found herself in her own bed, completely tucked under her covers.

She flushed. Leo must have carried her.

A sudden image flashed in front of her. Leo was the focus of it. It looked to be night, judging by the moonlight filtering through the curtains, and she realized with a start, that Leo was standing at the side of Calypso's own bed. Her unmoving figure lay under the covers, and Leo was hovering over her, looking down at her face.

 _Why am I seeing this?_

 _Oh, dear. If only you knew._ A womanly voice intruded, that wasn't hers.

Calypso blanched. _Who is this?_

 _Let me just say, your, ah... romantic overseer._

Of course Aphrodite had to find a way into this. But why now?

The vision resumed. Leo seemed to make up his mind about something.

But he didn't move away. Instead, he began leaning towards Calypso. What was he doing? The girl waited to find out.

He came closer and closer to Calypso's face. And he did something totally unexpected.

He tapped his lips gently on her forehead.

 _WHAT!?_

 _Isn't it just sweet, darling?_

Leave it to the goddess of love to see the sweet in everything.

* * *

Leo could not believe how amazing last night was. His mind still lingered on Calypso's smiling features, her beautiful face, everything about her that was simply amazing.

And... of course, that moment where he'd done the unspeakable.

He'd kissed her. Yeah, it was her forehead. But he still got an embarrassing rush when thinking about it.

He felt odd, like he had done it without her consent (which he had), that he had somehow violated a right that she had.

He'd not given a thought to the possibility that Calypso had somehow found out about it, until she walked silently into the kitchen, her eyes focused intently on her feet.

He wondered, and spoke. "What's wrong, girl?"

Calypso shook her head. "It's— it's nothing."

Leo smiled sadly. "You're a terrible liar, Sunshine. Come on. _Speak._ "

She laughed sheepishly. "I'm that predictable, aren't I."

"Yes. Now, do tell."

Calypso sighed, and took in Leo's expression that indicated his attention was on her, and he was waiting.

"Okay. Two words—'last night.'"

Leo groaned, slightly surprised how she'd turned the tables on him. He knew exactly what she was talking about. He didn't even bother to question how she herself knew.

"Okay. Okay, um... yeah. Last night," he began awkwardly.

Calypso regarded him expectantly.

"Last night… What I did, I can describe no better than simply 'being in the heat of the moment.' I guess... I guess I wanted to say good night, without waking you up. Without disturbing your sleep. It was a sort of, um, reflex." He didn't want to see her expression, so he looked down, ashamed.

"I'm sorry," he added quietly.

"I—I accept your apology," she whispered. She instantly turned on her heel and walked out to her garden, slowly, as if to tease him, saying, _look what you've done._ Yet, deep down, he knew she was a better person than that.

 _Oh, honey._

He was getting sick of this.

 _What? What. Do. You. Want?_

 _I only want to say that this will blow over in time._

 _But she's everything to me. Everything!_ As embarrassing as it was to admit it, it was true. Everyone else that he loved, except for the seven, had completely abandoned him, or died.

 _How sweet._

Leave it to the goddess of love to see the sweet in everything.

* * *

Calypso kneeled over her plants. She'd been working on them for a couple of hours (she was very dedicated to the well-being of her garden, and a lot of her time was comprised of just sitting there, thinking about the recent events.

 _What do I do now?_

Tears clouded her vision. She'd pushed away her only friend. And for what? A kind, gentle, friendly gesture?

Her small shovel dug harder and harder into the soil. She was angry, and sad.

Calypso looked back at the living room through the window. Leo was no longer there. She wanted so badly to go back in, to try and apologize, but she would only make things worse, seeing as after 3000 years on a phantom island with the occasional castaway/super sexy hero, her people skills were not that great.

 _Honey. You have to talk to him._

 _My wife is right._ Interesting. It was a man's voice this time, none other than Hephaestus.

 _Ugh, Hephaestus, honey. Why don't you make, like, a walking computer or something? This is girl stuff._

 _Ah, whatever._ Calypso felt the god's presence disappear.

Aphrodite continued. _As I was saying, darling, you have to take this into your own hands._

 _But how?_

 _Darling. That's for me to know, and you to find out._ Calypso could almost hear the smile in her voice.

And then she was gone.

Calypso gave up on her garden work, dropping the spade haphazardly next to the partially upturned soil, and took a deep breath. She walked back into the living room, and looked at the clock.

11:07.

"Oh, Styx, I'm late," she mumbled.

 _Extremely_ late.

She rushed down the stairs, berating herself for taking so much time with her thoughts.

* * *

Leo was standing at the counter, waiting for the next customer, but his thoughts wandered away from the shop and into Calypso's bedroom. He looked down at the ground and held his gaze, anguished.

He needed someone to talk to. He needed… a friend.

The bell jingled. Footsteps hit the floor. They came closer, and suddenly fingernails tapped against the glass counter. And a voice.

"Leo, look at me when I'm talking to you."

Leo looked up. The girl's skin was the color of chocolate, her hair cinnamon. Startlingly golden eyes looked back at him.

"Hazel…" he breathed.

"What did you do this time?" Hazel asked, a mirthful edge to her voice.

The boy smiled despite himself. That girl always knew how to make him feel better.

Then the smiled disappeared as quickly as it had come.

"Hazel, I completely messed up with Calypso."

The girl smiled at him knowingly. "You can tell me all about it."

Leo's expression became thoughtful. "Sure, but… I don't want to leave Calypso alone—"

Hazel waved her hand impatiently. "I'll talk to her. Don't worry."

Leo laughed sheepishly. "Thank you so much," he said. "This means—a lot to me."

Leo was surprised. He was choked up for the first time in… what? 10 years?

Hazel punched him in the shoulder playfully. "Don't start crying, Repair Boy."

"Me? Leo Valdez, Bad Boy Supreme, _cry?_ "

* * *

Calypso breathed unevenly, raggedly.

Who was this "Hazel?"

She would find out in a matter of seconds.

The doorknob turned. Calypso's grip on the kitchen counter tightened, her knuckles turning white.

She felt the gaze of the girl on her, appraising her silently.

"Gods of Olympus. A little tighter and you might break off a piece of the counter." Seeing the discomfort on Calypso's face, she added, "Hey, I'm a friend."

Calypso held her hand out uncertainly. "Hello. I'm Calypso."

The girl put her own hand out and shook rather firmly. "Nice to finally put a face to the name. Hazel Levesque."

"Leo has told me so much about you." Her tone was almost challenging.

Hazel smiled, then frowned. "Hey, I'm dating Frank. No need to get so defensive."

Calypso nodded. "Frank, too. All of your posse of seven."

"That's nice. Anyway, I just wanted to say, I'm going to talk to Leo for a few minutes. Alone. About your, um, problem." There was a questioning touch on the last word.

Calypso's eyes found the ground, and stayed there, until Hazel said,

"Don't worry, Calypso. We'll work this out. Together."

Calypso's eyes panned back up and scanned Hazel's. "Thank you," she whispered.

Hazel laughed and placed a hand on Calypso's shoulder. She almost recoiled at the contact, but reminded herself that Hazel "was a friend."

Suddenly, Hazel was all business. With her hand still on Calypso's shoulder, she said, "How much do you like Leo?"

Calypso smiled sheepishly. "'Like' is an understatement."

Hazel smiled back. "That's good enough for me."

She removed her hand, and added, "Do you think you can handle the shop alone for a few minutes while we're gone?"

Calypso nodded. "Sure."

She smiled in thanks, turned, pushed open the door, and was gone.

* * *

Leo was waiting for her. He looked at Hazel, awaiting her response.

"It's all good," she confirmed. Hazel walked past him, around the counter, and said, "Well? What are you waiting for?"

Leo grinned and followed. "Jeez, Levesque. Are you usually this involved in other's affairs?"

Hazel smiled back. "Depends."

"Like that's not vague at all."

Leo closed the door behind him without bothering to get a jacket. He didn't exactly need one. Meanwhile, Hazel was shivering like a vibrating toothbrush.

Reflexively, the boy put an arm around her. She immediately stopped shivering.

"I swear, Leo, your body temperature must be about 20 degrees higher than the average human's."

"Yeah, I get that a lot."

Hazel looked at him incredulously. "Seriously?"

Leo grinned. "No."

They walked in silence for a few more minutes, reaching a park bench. Hazel escaped Leo's arm, sat down, and pat her hand down next to her.

"Sit."

Leo smiled again. "Okay, _mom._ "

Hazel sighed. "Shut up, Leo."

Leo sat.

The girl continued. "Okay. Tell me everything."

* * *

Calypso stood at the counter, awaiting a new face.

She wondered what Leo and Hazel were talking about.

Probably laughing about how insensitive she'd been. Probably saying that Leo would never like her. Leo would never fall for her, as the other heroes she'd encountered did not. Why would Leo be any different?

* * *

"She—She's beautiful. I mean, I couldn't take my eyes off her."

Leo was describing his night at the Stardust Diner.

"Well, I can understand that," Hazel said in agreement.

"She has this beautiful laugh, and an amazing personality. I can't understand why the dicks who ended up on her island didn't just stay with her, or at least try to take her away with them."

"Well, she couldn't exactly leave," Hazel reminded him. "And, just think about it. _You_ came back for her. _You_ offered to take her with you. _You're_ the one who vowed, on the freaking _Styx,_ that you'd come back for her. Not Percy. Not anyone else. You've got one of the biggest hearts of anyone I know."

Leo was silent.

* * *

Calypso was still waiting.

She was certain now. Certain that Leo did not feel that way about her.

Her tears came slowly. The first one trickled down her cheek, onto the floor.

 _Gods,_ Calypso thought, _you're so predictable._

Another tear found its way down her face.

And another.

And another, until she was shaking with sobs, fountains gushing from her eyes. She was crying shamelessly.

And she would for what felt like a very, very long time.

* * *

"So I picked her up, and carried her to the shop, up the stairs, into her bedroom… I lay her down, tucked her in, and I—I kissed her on the forehead. I had no idea what the hell I was doing. I had no awareness of consequence. I feel like I did something wrong. _Very_ wrong."

The corners of Hazel's lips turned up slowly.

"What are you smiling about?" Leo could not help asking.

"Leo, you're so clueless."

"How so?"

"When I talked to Calypso before we left, I asked her what she thought about you, how she felt about you. She said, 'like is an understatement.' Leo, she… she really, _really_ likes you."

Leo was flabbergasted. "No. That's ridiculous. That's not funny, if you're joking. You know how I feel about her."

Hazel put her hand on Leo's. "I'm not joking."

Leo stood up, and put his head in his hands.

"Holy Hephaestus," was all he said, muffled by his calloused palms, before unmasking himself.

Hazel stood up. "Time to go back?"

Leo grinned nervously. "Y—Yeah."

Hazel began walking. "Come on, Repair Boy."

The boy quickly followed. "Was that really necessary?" He called out.

Hazel giggled. "What? The name works."

They continued back to Leo and Calypso's Auto Repair and Mechanical Monsters.

* * *

Leo pushed open the door.

"Hey, Sunshine, we're back!"

She wasn't at the counter.

Hazel asked, "What's wrong?"

Leo shrugged. "Nothing, just thought she'd be here."

He walked behind the counter, and his hand hovered over the knob on the back door.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Hazel asked.

He lowered his hand, turned the knob, and pushed the door open. What he saw next was something he hadn't bargained for.

Calypso was sitting on a stool, head in hands, audibly sobbing. Her hands were soaked in her tears.

Leo looked back at Hazel, asking for help, but Hazel shrugged as if to say, _She's all yours._

Leo sighed, and walked up to Calypso.

"Hey," he mumbled. He placed his hands on her arms.

Calypso did not move.

"Hey," he said again. "Come on, Calypso. Please look at me." He felt like he was begging, but the girl obliged, removing her hands from her face. She scanned his face, her expression shaky, delicate, as if she could break at the wrong words or touch.

She did not say a word. Instead, she jumped off of the stool and into Leo's arms, crying again.

Leo held her and whispered into her hair, "It's all right, Sunshine. It's okay. I've got you."

Calypso mumbled into the boy's shoulder, "L—Leo…"

Leo said, "Shhh. You don't have to apologize. Everybody cries, yeah?"

Calypso felt as if she could stand there forever. She held him for all she was worth.

It was the best moment of Calypso's 4,000 year-long life.

Leo was thinking. Should he mention what Hazel told him?

No. Not in Calypso's vulnerable state.

He himself didn't feel comfortable, but he couldn't delay the inevitable.

Suddenly, he felt Calypso's head move away from his chest, and looked down to see that she was staring at him with her beautiful caramel eyes. He held her gaze for what felt like an eternity.

He absorbed the features of her face. Her eyes were glistening, and there were tear streaks down her cheeks, but they were drying. She was breathing unevenly, with the occasional sniffle. Even with the evidence of her sadness, Leo thought she still looked stunning.

She finally spoke, forming full, mostly uninterrupted sentences despite her shaky breaths.

"Leo, I'm sorry I was avoiding you this morning. Seriously, I was acting… childish, immature, and any synonyms of the word 'insensitive.' You're—" Calypso sniffled, and took a moment to start speaking again. "You're my only friend, and I felt terrible pushing you away… Please, Leo, accept my apology." Calypso was silently crying again. "Gods, I feel like I'm throwing a pity party for myself."

Leo smiled, tears glistening in his own eyes. "You're my best friend too, Sunshine. I accept your apology."

Calypso smiled briefly, and jumped back into Leo's embrace.

Hazel walked in, a huge smile on her face.

"Thank you… Repair Boy," Calypso said into the boy's shirt. He couldn't see her smile.

"Oh, man. Not you too." Leo whispered, slightly annoyed, but he was still grinning.

Hazel walked into the room, a big smile on her face. "You'd better get used to it, Repair Boy. I get the feeling she'll be calling you that a lot these days."

Neither Leo or Calypso decided to let go of the other just yet.

Leo smiled. Then a sudden thought came to him.

"Hazel, where's Frank?"

Hazel said, "Well, actually, he was supposed to come up here around now."

The girl's phone suddenly rang. "In fact, that's probably him," she said, pulling a phone out of her pocket.

Calypso marveled at it. "That looks like nothing more than a box."

Leo laughed. "Well, Calypso, the technology has probably improved in the last 4,000 years. I've gotta teach you how to use one."

"Hey, Frank! Yeah, I'm with Leo and Calypso. Where _are_ you?"

There was a muffled voice coming from the receiver, and Leo couldn't make out the words.

"Okay, Frank. See you. Love you, too." You could hear Frank blush from through the phone. Hazel pulled the phone down from her ear, and said, "He's a couple blocks away."

Leo sighed. "Too bad we couldn't see everybody else, too."

Hazel sighed. "Yeah, then Calypso would be able to get a proper introduction to everyone."

From out of nowhere, the boy's stomach groaned.

Calypso giggled.

"Well," she said, "Now seems like a good time for lunch."

* * *

 **Author's Note: I'm so sorry for this cliffhanger. Frank will be in the next chapter, I promise. Hope you liked the Caleo fluff. As always, thank you for the support, and don't forget to read and review.**


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